The price you pay
by becca-the-evil-fuzzball
Summary: Inuyasha screwed up.. again but this time its worse than ever.  Kagome leaves him, but is it for good? Or will she come back and show him the price you pay for breaking someones heart? InuKag love story, R&R please
1. Not what we expected

Okay, so this is an InuKag, yay!!!! lol ok, time for y disclamer XP

Disclamer:I do not profit from this story and I do not own Inuyasha (sadly) because if I did own him, he would be in handcuffs on my bed greeting me everyday with his hotness drools ok this disclamer was ot meant to make me drool.

Now, ON WITH THE STORY!

Chapter 1: Not what we expected…

Wow. This was something that no one expected out of Kagome, ever. Kagome, the girl they had known for being non-violent and when mad at Inuyasha, she would give him the "sit" session of his life. But Inuyasha was no where to be found and Kagome was standing in front of a tree, punching it furiously.

Sango, Miroku, Shippo, and even Kirara stared at the girl wide-eyed as she assaulted the poor defenseless tree. Eventually, someone had to ask Kagome what was wrong since the question was burning in the back of all of their minds, so who better than Sango to ask? As Sango walked up to the girl, she could see the small indent in the tree Kagome was causing and the blood that fell down from her knuckles. Of course, Sango was worried. I mean, wouldn't you be too if you saw your best friend punching a tree on the verge of tears. So Sango began her own assault, of questions.

"Kagome? What happened? Why are you punching a tree and where is Inuyasha?"

Kagome glared icily at Sango with tear stained cheeks, eyes red and puffy, with gritted teeth. "Nothing happened Sango, I am perfectly FINE!" Kagome replied clenching her teeth while yet again punching the tree. Icy glares? Kagome crying? Yelling at Sango? Yeah, Kagome was not at all ok.

Sango finally grabbed Kagome's bloodied hands and looked her in the eyes. "Kagome, seriously what happened? You can tell me remember? …. And where is Inuyasha?"

Kagome harshly pulled her hands away from Sango's grasp and glared at her, yet again icily. Finally, she gave up on the glaring and sat down at the base of the tree, Sango sitting down beside her.

"I'm sorry Sango, I didn't mean to act so harsh towards you. But honestly, it's nothing-big ok? I'm just a little upset about my school work ok? Nothing new." Kagome said and _attempted_ to flash an assuring smile but sadly, Sango didn't buy it.

"Kagome, I know very well that that is not the truth. It's something else…. Something having to do with Inuyasha, am I right?" It's amazing how well Sango knew Kagome. She knew that the only time Kagome would be this furious, was if Inuyasha was part of the cause.

There was a moment of silence until Inuyasha broke it, by running from the middle of no where to stand next to Kagome.

"Kagome, I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you, it just slipped out."

Kagome's anger rose again and she stood up to face Inuyasha.

"Just slipped out? Just slipped out?! Do you know how much it pained me to hear you say that? To talk about how you wished you and Kikyo would have had a family? It killed me Inuyasha! Do you know how much I love you? And then for you to go and say that?!" She said as tears rolled down her cheeks once again. Ever since Kikyo died all Inuyasha did was mope and mope and mope. All Kagome wanted to do was to help Inuyasha feel somewhat better and this is what it ended with, Kagome yelling at Inuyasha with tears in her eyes, again. Because this wasn't the first time, no way. He constantly talked about what him and Kikyo could've had but didn't. It has happened before but never this bad.

"Kagome, please forgive me"

"Forgive you? Forgive you Inuyasha? Why should I even bother?"

"Because I said I was sorry that's why" Inuyasha replied, anger slightly boiling in his veins.

"Oh so I have to listen to you because you said so Inuyasha. Because we all know that you rule over me and I have to listen to you." Kagome replied sarcastically, anger rising ever more while her fist clenched.

"Well, you can't expect me to not mention Kikyo after she died!"

"Inuyasha, there are just something's that should be kept to yourself though!"

"Well don't get mad at me! It's your fault that you're like this! You're the one who came to me and tried to cheer me up! You're the one who wanted to talk to me! So you should be smart enough to realize I was going to mention what me and Kikyo should've had!" Inuyasha yelled in Kagome's face only seconds later realizing what he did. Man he just screwed up, making Kagome cry even more now. Inuyasha, expecting to be "sat" closed his eyes tightly, waiting for impact with the floor, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see Kagome's hand inches away from his face and then….smack…. she slapped him across his cheek.

"You… you listen to me Inuyasha and you listen good, you can talk about Kikyo and what you two should've had and you can mope around all you want but don't expect me to be here to comfort you because I am leaving you, for good! And no, not one week, or 3 days..this time, I mean it!" Kagome said to his face, storming off to get her backpack. Inuyasha, still in the state of shock that Kagome slapped him, stood there rubbing his hand over the area she slapped him.

Shippo ran over to Kagome, about to cry. Boy was this going to suck for Shippo. The teenage girl who had been like another mother to him was leaving? Just like that?

"Kagome, your not really leaving forever, are you?" Shippo said as he clenched onto Kagome's legs, tears in his eyes.

Feeling bad for the little fox, she picked him up and cradled him in her arms.

"Shippo? Can you keep a secret?"

Shippo to upset to cry just nodded his head

"I'm not going to leave **forever**. Just think of it as an extended vacation. I am coming back, and when I do, I will be stronger than Kikyo, I will be more than she was and I will show Inuyasha what he **could've** had… but you cannot tell Miroku because he would definitely tell Inuyasha. You can tell Sango but that is it, ok? I trust you Shippo and love you, ok?"

They little fox nodded and hugged Kagome one last time as she set him down as she headed for the well. Waving one last goodbye to Shippo, she jumped into the well and disappeared from the feudal era.

There was an eerie silence between them all until Sango finally broke it.

"Well, aren't you going to go after her Inuyasha?"

He was about to take Sango's advice until Miroku stepped in. "It would be bad to try to console her now, just give her a while to cool down and then give her a visit"

Inuyasha sighed and sat down on the forest floor. "I guess you're right Miroku…. Besides, she can't stay mad at me forever, she'll be back, I just know it"

--------------------------------

Ok, so that was the first chapter, I know it was a bit short but give me a break, its like 3 o'clock AM and I just finished this chapter. So just click to little review button on the side of the screen and tell me what you think ok? thanx!


	2. What the hell!

Alright, so I'm updating yay! Lol 

Well, I have one review from the first chapter w I feel loved XD listen, reviews mean a lot to me so I take a review seriously. So if I get reviews, I will reply to them in the beginning of the chapter. If this chapter took more time than most expected, I'm sorry ;;; my family and I are moving to Florida September 7 (Friday) so I barely get PC time -- but anyway, I will try to update ASAP ok?

**Island Heart**: lol yeah I was thinking the same thing in my head. Ofcourse we all know Inuyasha can be a bit dense at times but he doesn't intentionally hurt Kagome, he just needs to think some more before he speaks. And I updated because you reviewed lol.

Disclamer: Alright, I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters, although if I did, well….. you know…..

"Speech"

'Thoughts' 

Chapter 2: What the hell?!

Ok, so it had been 2 weeks and yet, still no Kagome. Inuyasha, sulking as usual, was sitting in a tree, relaying the argument over and over again in his head. Damn, he screwed up, he really did. He should've thought before he said any thing about Kikyo. And now, the other woman he loved was gone Of course, he could of just paid her a visit and tell her he was sorry but considering the fact that this fight was a bit monumental, he decided to keep his distance for a while to let her cool off.

Damn where did he go wrong? Why did it upset her so much? Did he miss something? Some part of the argument? He spent days and days replaying the argument over and over but couldn't figure it out. '_Ok, let me try again…I told her it just slipped out, she said how I killed her that I said that and she said……Oh crap' _And that's when it hit him, hard. Kagome said she loved him and he didn't even say anything. Was he too caught up in the argument to realize it? Damn, he screwed up, big time.

After about an hour of taking in the fact that she, Kagome loved him Inuyasha, he finally leapt up from the tree and decided to go to Kagome's time to tell her how he felt. It was a fact that he still felt **some** feelings for Kikyo but he ended up falling in love with Kagome. Damn it, why didn't he tell her how he felt before? Man, he was an idiot but now was not the time to bad mouth himself. Right now, he had to tell Kagome what was on his mind.

Finally, reaching the well he paused in front of it. Something did not feel right, he had a gut feeling something was wrong, terribly wrong. But he pushed the feeling aside and jumped into the well… or atleast attempted too. As he leapt up and headed inside the well, a pinkish purple light glowed around it, and he bounced off of it and landed with a loud thud on the floor.

"What the hell?!" Inuyasha yelled meanwhile rubbing the back of his head in pain. Being as persistent as we know him to be, he attempted to jump in again but the same thing happened, this time he saved himself by landing on his feet before he hit the ground. '_What the hell is going on?' _

He stared at the well for about 5 minutes until he finally decided to run to Kaede's house. Maybe she knew why the well wouldn't let him go through.

Man, he didn't know who did what or what the hell was wrong with the well all he knew was, he hoped Kagome was ok.

But then again, what if the person who did something to the well was Kagome? Nah, she couldn't be that mad at she? _'She couldn't have been serious about never coming back right? I mean, she loves it here… atleast I think. Nah, she probably just said that to get me upset… I just hope that is the case' _He had so many questions and needed answers butas for now, he had to get to the bottom of this, and fast.

Ok, don't kill me for the really short chapter but this chapter was more like to inform you what happened. Don't worry, the next chapter will be longer, you'll see. As for now, please review and tell me what you think ok? As you review, I will be banging my head on the wall to knock some sense into myself so I can make longer chapters….. hope I don't get a concussion OO


	3. Why

Ok, so if you lovely people are wondering why this chapter is so late, it's because I literally had no internet access because of the move --;;;. And it sucked because I was internet deprived and I couldn't update for you all TT…. damn laptop not wanting to find any connections around the area kicks laptop laptop makes loud noise then sparks fly out from laptop OO okay ;; so I'm going to sweet talk my laptop into working again while you people read ok? TT please forgive me laptop.

Disclamer: OMG I own all Inuyasha characters and I can do whatever I can with them!!! Wait, why am I in my bed??? Don't tell me it was a dream….. TT it was a dream sigh

"Speech"

'_Thoughts'_

Chapter 3: Why….

Because of Inuyasha's speed, he made it to Kaede's hut in less than 5 minutes. Bursting into the hut, slightly out of breath (probably due to his anxiety) he ran up to Kaede and pulled her up from the floor. "I need you to explain something to me now you old hag!"

Kaede looked at him with an angry/perplexed look on her face. Her eye twitched as she looked at Inuyasha's worried expression. "Inuyasha, I would prefer if ye called me by my name, not old hag"

"It doesn't matter right now old hag! I need your help and now!" Inuyasha yelled at the old priestess.

Kaede looked at him one more time annoyed but then sighed and just decided to give up and go with Inuyasha to go help him with his "emergency". As she got up, Inuyasha grabbed her and ran out the hut towards the direction of the well. He quickly passed by Sango, Miroku, and Shippo who exchanged confused glances at each other. Why was Inuyasha running towards the well…. with Kaede? Yeah, that confused them even more. Its not that Inuyasha didn't like the old woman it's just that Kaede would be the last person Inuyasha would want to talk to or hang out with. That's what Miroku was for. That's when they realized something was not right.

As Inuyasha finally reached the well in a matter of minutes, Sango (who was on top of Kirara) and Shippo (who was on top of a running Miroku's head) appeared a few second's later than Inuyasha.

They stood there for a few second's until Shippo grew impatient. "Inuyasha, what was so important that you had to drag Kaede out here?"

Inuyasha stood there looking at him and the rest of the crew confused.

"You mean you don't see anything or feel anything…strange?" Everyone looked at each other and then shook their heads signifying no. Inuyasha just sighed "Fine, I'll **show** you what's wrong"

They all watched closely as Inuyasha took in a huge breath and jumped into the well. That's when the pinkish purple glow surrounded him and he flew back towards everyone's direction. Once again avoiding the fall, he landed swiftly on his feet and turned around to face his wide-eyed friends.

"Ya see?! Every time I try to go to Kagome's time, the well ends up doing that!" Inuyasha yelled slightly irritated that his friends didn't say anything, they were kind of shocked that the well would reject Inuyasha considering the fact he had been going in and out of it for more than one year now.

(a/n: ok so in the show, it's been months but in my story it had been more than a year meaning everyone is one year older OO should've said this before but it didn't occur to me ; ok end of author's note)

"Well, do any of you know what is going on?" Inuyasha said with a worried expression on his face.

Kaede stepped closer to the well and examined it for what seemed like forever for Inuyasha. Finally, she spoke.

"It seems there is a barrier around this well"

"Yeah but if it's a barrier, why couldn't I see it but Inuyasha could sense it?" Miroku asked Kaede slightly perplexed.

"I do not know…."

"Maybe it's because Inuyasha and Kagome are the only people who are able to travel through the well. Maybe that's why he's the only one who could sense it." Sango said.

"We don't know anything for a fact but I guess that's all we can go on" Miroku replied.

Kaede walked up to the well and looked at the barrier. "Well, we can see it now."

"Which is what confuses me even more" Shippo said rubbing his temples in an attempt to make his confusion induced headache go away. Inuyasha being as impatient as ever didn't care about the explanations now, all he cared about was solving this problem. "Listen, my question is, can you take away the barrier?"

Kaede sighed and walked up to Inuyasha looking a bit sad. She looked at him and turned her face away from Inuyasha's.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha but the only people who are able to take off this barrier is my sister Kikyo… and Kagome. And since Kikyo isn't with us anymore, that means…"

It didn't take long for Inuyasha to realize what Kaede was going to say. He looked at the ground for what seemed like forever until he finally spoke. "…Which means Kagome was the one who made the barrier…"

Kaede and the gang could sense the hurt in his voice. No one spoke until Inuyasha broke the silence "Hey why are you guys so quiet? It's not like she meant what she said about never coming back. She is just saying it to get me upset that's all, she didn't mean it… I know she didn't" There was silence again until Inuyasha chuckled "Hey um I'm going to go to the river or something I'll meet you all back at Kaede's hut later ok?" Inuyasha said as he leapt off into the woods, his back turned to his friends.

Shippo then felt a drop of "water" fall on his face "He put the drop of water on his finger and sniffed it, looking down at the drop of water on his finger he sighed and spoke. "Inuyasha… he's… crying."

------

Ok muahahaha I'm so evil I should end it right here…. Well actually I'm not that evil… but you all probably think I am for ending this chappy O.o

Anyway I will update and I'm sorry this chapter is late, I can't update as quick as usual because I'm typing with my laptop and it can't receive any internet service right now… I think I'm going to buy a disk or something and save the chapters on the disk for now and update at the library or something. Anyway, hope you liked the chapter bye!


	4. Hello Sesshy, Goodbye Kagome's weakness

Thank you for the reviews my lovelies (I hope you won't get freaked out by me calling you all that O.o) Oh yeah and guess what, Sesshy is in this chappy!

Now, replies to the reviews!

Island Heart: lol I don't think anyone knows the true meaning of sadistic until they have met my grandmother O.o

Inuyasha Romance Goddess: Yeah, it's not every day that you see Inuyasha crying. (This reminds me of my friend . she has an obsession with man tears OO)

* * *

Disclaimer: too lazy to write a decent one… I don't one Inuyasha or any of its characters. 

Chapter 4: Hello Sesshy, goodbye Kagome's weakness

Inuyasha raced through the woods, not caring if he bumped into anything and not bothering to look at his surroundings. All he wanted to do was run, far far away from the well and from his friends. Stopping abruptly at the river, he gazed at its beauty for only a few seconds before collapsing to the ground with his face in his hands, sobbing. "Stupid well not working, stupid Kagome doing this to me, stupid me for making her do this, stupid me stupid stupid stupid!" Inuyasha screamed as he punched the earth furiously. He didn't care about much at that moment, not even the blood that dripped from his burning knuckles, all he cared about was the ground and how big a whole he could manage to make with his bare hands before he released all his anger. But he felt he was going to be there for a while. He was there for days, still punching the ground often giving his hands a small break before he proceeded his actions.

Inuyasha was so transfixed with his "handwork" he didn't hear the sounds of footsteps approaching him, or the shadow that hovered over him. But when the figure came to a complete stop in front of him, that's when Inuyasha knew he wasn't alone (A/N: . duh) Finally looking up with tear stained cheeks, he was greeted by the cold glare of his "loving" brother, Sesshomaru. Inuyasha leapt back and pulled out his Tetsusaiga, immediately lunging for Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru immediately took out his Tokijin and blocked the oncoming attack from Inuyasha. Inuyasha was about to go for another attack but Sesshomaru appeared behind him and kicked him to the ground. "You are becoming reckless Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked up at his brother, furious but meanwhile having tears drop from his golden eyes. Sesshomaru put his sword back in its sheath and turned his back to Inuyasha. "I did not come to fight you _brother, _so you can stop being childish and put your sword away." Inuyasha didn't really bother to listen to his brother. As far as he was concerned, what Sesshomaru said was an annoying ringing in his ears. He once again lunged for his brother but Sesshomaru dodged him with ease. "I see your as foolish as ever Inuyasha. If something is bothering you, do not waste your time on taking out your rage on me. I simply required your wench for a few moments, but it appears she is not here." Sesshomaru did not realize what he said had hurt Inuyasha.

"Why?! Why do you want Kagome? Huh?" Inuyasha blurted out.

"I simply require her healing skills, Rin is ill and I do not know what I should do."

"Well I don't know what to tell you because she is gone, for good." Inuyasha said, looking down to try and hide the new tears forming in his eyes.

"I see, very well then I guess I will be on my way" Sesshomaru replied as he turned his back to Inuyasha.

"Wait... I'll… I'll take a look at her for you" Inuyasha said (surprisingly)

"You? I'm sorry but I do not believe such an imbecile as you could help Rin" Sesshomaru said with a smirk. (A/N: Sesshomaru smirking?! drools)

"I'm serious… I'll go... Kagome taught me what medicines do what"

Sesshomaru was skeptical at first but sighed and took Inuyasha up on his offer. "Very well, follow me" Sesshomaru said as he raced through the woods. Arriving at their destination in a few seconds due to their incredible speed, they arrived to see an angry Jaken tending to Rin, of course he was mumbling something about weak humans and the fact they were unnecessary.

"Jaken, move" Sesshomaru said as the toad like figure scurried out of his masters way. Sesshomaru bent down to touch the coughing girls' forehead. Pulling his hand back he put Inuyasha's hand on Rin's forehead so he could have a feel. "Hmm she has a fever, and a very bad cough…. I know what she needs, give me one minute, I'll be right back." Inuyasha said dashing off into the woods towards Kaede's hut. Once he got there, he was glad no one was home, simply because he wanted to avoid being reminded of the situation that happened just days ago. Searching through the hut, he finally found the stash of medicines Kagome had left there. Grabbing 2 bottles, he quickly ran to the area Sesshomaru was staying. When he arrived, he handed his brother the 2 medicines. "Here, make sure she takes one of these at dawn for a few days, that should take care of the fever in no time. And make sure she takes the other one once at dawn and one at night, that should take care of her cough. And give her lots of water." Inuyasha said with no emotion.

"Hmm, I guess you do have some use Inuyasha" Sesshomaru replied, still looking smug. Inuyasha simply turned around and headed towards the direction of the hut before his brothers' voice stopped him. "Listen Inuyasha, whatever happened between you and that girl… it will eventually work out." Inuyasha felt tears forming in his eyes and only muttered "I hope so, I hope so" and ran off into the woods.

: Meanwhile in Modern Japan:

Kagome continuously punched the wooden board on the stand, set up in the back of the shrine as rain poured down on her. Kagome's mother stared worriedly at her daughter, through her kitchen window, occasionally sighing.

"How long has she been out there mom?" Sota asked curiously

"She's been at it for a week already, she hasn't even bothered to come inside, so I just leave the food for her by her stand whenever she takes a nap."

"Oh, I see" Sota said worriedly

"I know honey I am worried about her too but she said she wants to become stronger on her own, no matter what… so we have to respect her wishes."

"Hyaa!" Kagome yelled as she tried to keep her energy into her hand so it could form a perfect sphere. She almost had it but as she pulled her hand back to punch the board, the energy lost its spherical form and ended up hitting her, making her fly backwards into the dirt. She lay there for a few seconds and began to cry.

' _What if I can't do this? I can't become stronger can I?… No, I must become stronger, I can't be weak anymore.'_ Kagome shouted in her head as she stood up and began to make the energy appear in her hand again, making sure it took a spherical form. _'I must become stronger, I can not depend on anyone else to save me, not even Inuyasha.'_ She pulled her hand back, as the energy orb became bigger in size. _'I can be stronger, stronger than Kikyo'_ She lunged her hand fast towards the solid board. "I can do it!" She yelled as her fist hit the board, hard. The board broke into a million tiny pieces and disappeared into the muddy earth. Kagome then fell to the ground, crying but grinning slightly. "I can do it, I will do it and the next time you see me Inuyasha, be ready because I won't be the same anymore." Kagome sat up with newfound confidence and went to fetch a solid board, thicker than the one she had just used.

'_I know I can, I know I can'_

* * *

Fourth chapter over with yay! w 

Okay, I know that what Sesshomaru said to Inuyasha was a bit OOC but they are not supposed to be such bitter rivals anymore (Well, atleast in my story anyway)

Okay, so in the next chapter, there is going to be a _slight_ time skip. But not a huge time skip, but one that is just enough to make a difference.

So please review my lovelies and you'll get the next chapter A.S.A.P o

Luv ya! (O.o sorry, I did it again XD)


	5. Im halfway there

OK, chapter 5! Woot! Does happy dance

Anyway, I really wanted to thank all of my lovely reviewers. I'm glad because it's because of you people that I am able to continue writing this story o. Although, their were a few times that I did have brain farts and I literally sat in front of the PC staring at the screen, because I forgot what I was going to write. Also, school has been getting me stressed just slightly and school has just been very irritable --; But you all were very patient with me (thank God) and waited for me to update, so I just want to thank you all very much.

Ok, I've babbled a lot just now but anyway here's the 5th chapter, enjoy. D

**Disclaimer**: I wish I owned Inuyasha, but sadly I don't. Maybe I could wish for owning Inuyasha for Christmas . but then again, thousands of other authors probably wished for the same thing…

* * *

**Chapter 5: "I'm half way there…"**

The raven-haired girl formed the energy at the tip of her middle and index finger. She grinned as she pulled her hand back as her fingers went into full contact with the tree in front of her. She stared at the tree for about a second then leapt backwards until she was about 50 feet away from the gigantic tree.

Soon, the only thing that was heard was a cracking sound as the tree fell to the ground with a loud thud. Chuckling to herself, she was about to do the same thing to another tree until the sound of her wrist watch made a beeping noise, signifying it was already six o'clock. She sighed and decided to head back home, considering the fact she promised her mom she would be home by six and was pushing it since it was already 6:05. Luckily, her training gave her increased stamina and endurance. So she retrieved her supplies and raced home from the woods, which was miles from her house. 

Once reaching her house, she put her bag down in the hall.  
"Mom, I'm back."  
"Welcome back sweetie. How was training today?"  
"It was fine, just a little sweaty though and I'm not smelling too pleasant right now."  
"Alright, go take a bath then and dinner will be ready when you're done, okay?"  
"Sure mom" The girl was about to head up the stairs until her mother spoke to her again  
"Kagome… you're… are you alright honey?"  
"Yeah, I'm just fine, don't worry about it mom." She replied as she flashed her a reassuring smile, then headed up the stairs to the bathroom. Turning on the water to the tub, she waited for it to fill up as she stripped herself of her sweaty clothes. She turned off the water and hopped into the tub, letting the hot water soothe her tense muscles. Relaxing for a second she grabbed the shampoo and began scrubbing her hair. Seeing all the dirt that came off of her, she realized the bath was not the best idea she had, so she drained the water and turned on the shower. Once she rinsed off the soap she began to scrub her body, all the while thinking of her favorite hanyou.

'I wonder how he is doing, Heh, he's probably mad at me for leaving but I had too, there was nothing else I felt I could do.' 

She stepped out the shower and headed for her room. Locking the door, she let the towel drape to the floor. She examined herself in the mirror. She had change since he last time she was with Inuyasha. Her once small frail arms were now slightly muscular. Her legs were toned due to her constant running from place to place, instead of using any cars or buses. Her original mid-back length hair was now cut a little to reach a few inches above her shoulders so her hair wouldn't get in the way of her training.

Once she put on her pajama's (which only consisted of a tank top and boy shorts) she walked up to her wall to look at her calendar. Today was May 15th, one year since she had left Inuyasha. She couldn't believe it was only one year, it felt much longer than that to her. She wanted to return to the Feudal Era terribly but she didn't want to, at least not right now. She wanted to become slightly stronger; just enough to guarantee that she could defend herself without the help of Inuyasha. She already knew she was stronger than Kikyo was but she wanted to be much stronger and never considered to be on the same level Kikyo was. 

Yawning, she realized that today was in fact a rough day so she lay in her bed as her eyelids suddenly felt very, very heavy.   
'I wonder how Inuyasha is doing' she thought as sleep consumed her.

**: Meanwhile in the Feudal Era: **

"Miroku! Get your lecherous, terrible excuse for a monk ass over here, NOW!" screamed the furious demon slayer as she power walked to the small group of women who were standing around the monk. With a terrified look in his eyes, he backed away from the group of women and told them that if they valued their life, they should run away fast. The women were at first skeptical but when they saw the furious demon-slayer heading straight for them, they took his advice and ran for their lives. Now the only life that needed saving was the poor monk. He swore he could see his life flashing before his eyes as the woman got closer and closer to him, with clenched fists. The monk got on his knees and looked up at the woman pleadingly, getting ready to beg for his life.

"Sango, please, please forgive-" but the monk was cut off as she grabbed him by the collar and threw him into the nearest tree  
"What? You want me to forgive you?! AGAIN?!" Sango screamed as she walked up to a now dizzy Miroku, yet again clenching her fists. As Miroku stood up, he realized just how mad Sango was at him. Even though she was a few inches smaller in height then him, she was the most intimidating thing he had ever seen in his life, more intimidating than any demon. He saw her hands lift up and closed his eyes to get ready for impact but instead of hearing a slapping noise across his face he heard… sobbing? Oh no, he thought.

"Why do you have to do this to me Miroku. I love you for God's sake and you still are lecherous as ever!" Miroku sighed and embraced Sango.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it upset you that much. It won't happen again, honestly"   
Sango stopped crying and looked up at Miroku and smiled. "Good because if it does, I'll chop off your manhood and feed it to the rats. Now, let's get going Miroku, I made us dinner" Sango said and walked towards the direction of Kaede's hut. Miroku gulped. He swore to himself to never ever go after another woman again, because in the back of his mind he knew Sango wouldn't hesitate to follow through with her threat. 

"God I hate mood-swings" Miroku said with a whimper as he followed behind Sango. 'Just a few more week's, and she'll have the baby and no more mood swings I can deal… I hope'

**: After dinner:**

"Sango, I'm going to go look for Inuyasha, ok? I haven't seen him around lately" Miroku got up and started to walk through the door.  
"Ok Miroku, just remember what I said about the rats" Sango said with a smile. Miroku shuddered, she was scary. "Y-yes dear" Miroku replied with a nervous grin as he dashed out the hut, glad to be out of there.

Miroku didn't have to think about where Inuyasha was, he knew he would be at sitting up in his favorite tree. Inuyasha wasn't sulking anymore, but he was really… isolated. There would be times he would disappear for a couple of days and then return without saying a word, it was bizarre. Despite the fact their favorite miko had left about a year ago, Inuyasha still stayed with the group. That was another thing that perplexed them. If Kagome wasn't here, what was his purpose of staying with them? Miroku would've asked Inuyasha by now, but he didn't want to renew bad memories of the day she left.   
Arriving at the tree, Miroku was very surprised to see Inuyasha wasn't there. He thought Inuyasha would be pulling a "Houdini"(A/n: hope I spelled it right O.o), but he wasn't entirely sure this time so he went to search for him all over the village. 

After about what seemed like forever, Miroku found Inuyasha by the river at the outskirts of the village. Miroku slowly made his way to Inuyasha and sat beside him. Neither one of them spoke until Miroku couldn't take the silence anymore.   
"So Inuyasha, what brings you here?" Miroku said in a desperate attempt to make conversation.  
"This was the first place I came to when Kagome left me a year ago" Inuyasha replied, his voice straining with every word he said. Just talking about Kagome leaving was like gargling acid.   
Miroku twitched and then sighed, he knew he bought up bad memories, which he was trying to avoid.

"Inuyasha I'm sorry, I didn't-"  
"No, don't be. It was my fault she left in the first place. I was too hung up on Kikyo; I didn't notice how she felt about me. And now that I realize, it's too late." It hurt Inuyasha to say this but he knew he was at fault here.

"Inuyasha if you don't mind me asking, why do you stay here?" Miroku asked trying to slowly change the subject.  
Inuyasha smirked. "Because, I know it may seem a bit strange, but I have a feeling she may return to me one day. I don't know whether I'm just manipulating my mind into thinking that way but I don't know, I just have a feeling ya know?" Inuyasha confided to Miroku.  
Miroku could only grin, he knew Kagome was coming back, all because a certain little kitsune couldn't keep his mouth shut. Of course, Miroku was the only one who knew. Inuyasha and Sango were still oblivious to Kagome's plan but he figured Sango would figure it out on her own sooner or later. But he didn't tell anyone, and neither did Shippo, well except for Miroku of course.

Inuyasha stood up and sighed, he was doing that a lot now. He walked to the village with Miroku beside him. It was a beautiful night; the moon was huge and shone over the rivers, making the water glisten below.   
"Ya know, Kagome used to love nights like these" Inuyasha said with a smile, even though it hurt to talk about her, he couldn't help but smile when he remembered her smile, her joy, and the positive attitude she shared with everyone she met. He was hoping he would be able to see that smile sometime soon.

**: In modern Japan:**

As the sun rose to the sky, Kagome headed out her front door wearing sweats and caring a backpack with water and snacks. She was off to training again. As she walked up to the hills where she always trained, she saw someone already up there. Taking a closer look she saw… Hojo? What is he doing here she thought.

As she made her way up the hill, Hojo greeted her with a wide grin, in was too early to smile that big.

"Good morning Kagome! Our looking lovely this morning!" Hojo said over enthusiastically. Kagome mentally rolled her eyes and decided to be kind to him.  
"Thank you Hojo and good morning to you as well, what brings you here?" Kagome asked perplexed as she looked around him to see some training gear. 

"Actually, I came here to train with you Kagome" Hojo replied with a sheepish grin.  
At that moment, Kagome thought he was joking but when she realized he wasn't she wanted to laugh so hard. Hojo, training? That just didn't fit him.  
"Sorry Hojo, but my training is pretty rigorous. Maybe you should just go somewhere else to train, no offense"   
Hojo just frowned; he didn't like the idea that Kagome thought she was stronger than he was.   
"I'm sorry Kagome, but I can't accept that as an answer. I have a proposition for you though. We spar."  
Kagome was shocked, was he serious?  
"If I win Kagome, I can train with you. But if I lose, I'll leave and never bother your training ever again."  
Kagome inwardly smirked. This was an opportunity to make Hojo leave her alone, for good.

"Alright, I'm up for it." Kagome said as she tied her hair up with a scrunchie. She took her fighting position as well as Hojo.  
"Ready, GO!" Hojo yelled charging for Kagome. Kagome was shocked, now she really wondered if Hojo was serious, coming after her at that incredibly low speed. Kagome leapt over him and when he turned around, his face was greeted with Kagome's fist as he went spiraling into a tree.   
Kagome twitched. Maybe she hit him a little too hard. Hojo finally got up in what felt like hours. He stood in front of Kagome and stared into her eyes.  
"I lost" Hojo said as he walked away picking up his gear getting ready to leave. Kagome knew he was hurt but she wasn't sure he was hurt because he couldn't spar with her, or because he was beat by a girl. Whatever the case, Kagome shouted after him.  
"HOJO! Don't quit training, keep going at it ok?" Kagome yelled at Hojo who was halfway down the hill. He smiled back at her and waved nodding his head. Then he was gone.

Kagome went back to her spot and took off her sweatshirt to reveal a tank top. "Now for some real training."

**: At the Higurashi's residence:**

"WHAT?! Mom, look at the newspaper." Sota said yelling but laughing at the same time. The title said 'Tree's mysteriously disappearing in local forest' She could only laugh. "I think your sister is over doing it a bit Sota… But still I'm proud of her, she took charge of her life and is making a change." 'Plus, she has one more year and then she's returning to Inuyasha'

**: Back at the forest: **

Kagome was relaxing against a tree, taking a break from her training. Although she didn't want to stop training, it did give her time to think.  
'Just one more year and I'll get to see his face. That is when the barrier dies down and by then I'll be strong enough. But as for now, I still have to train' She quickly got up and smiled. "I can't wait to see him"

* * *

WOW. This chapter was a bit longer than the others. Well anyway, please please please review my lovelies. It would make me sooooo. Oh yeah and a bit of info for next chapter. Well actually its more like a clue. Its just one word: "home" Let your imaginations come up with what ever you think is in the next chapter because right now only I will know, sorry ;;; . DONT HATE ME! and um yeah, review please


End file.
